Pneumatic wheel-support.



No. 851,393. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. G. W. BELL. PNEUMATIC WHEEL SUPPORT.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN.31,1906.

2 SEBETS-SHEET 1.

I e. W. BELL. PNEUMATIC WHEEL SUPPORT.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 31, 1906.

PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.3 a i F g. 4', is a iagram elevation showing my as applied to the rear axle of an r i GEORGE WILLIAM BELL, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

PNEUMATIC WHEEL-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23,1907.

Application filed-Tannery 81,1906. Serial No. 299,759.

'To alkwhom it may concern:

x and Y, Irelan itknown that I, GEORGE WILLIAM ofthe King of Great Britain certain ne-w and useful Improvements in PneumaticgWheel-Supports, of which the following'is a specification, reference beinghad x'therein to the accompanying drawings.

' This invention relates more particularly to a 'pneumatic cushioning wheel power dr'iven vehicles and the object of the invention is to provide an efficient substitute of sim leconstruction for the pneumatic" tired-w eel.

. To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and operation of and the ends of axles supporting the body arts of the vehiclev in the and shown in the accompanying drawings, in

which 2, is a sectional elevation, the sectional portion beingin the vertical plane ofline w-zr Fig.

' my construction as 5 a rigi axle which in this instance is therear' 3; Fig. 3, is a sectional evation at right an gles to Fig. 2, the-sectional portion being in the vertical lane of the axis of the wheel. improvement automobile; Fig. 5', is an elevation showing applied to the front axle. '8 re resents the b0 y of theautomobile, d axle and g arespring interposed between the body and the axle d, the springs being rigidly bolted upon the'axle as in the usual manner.

.Plied in the following The axle (1 extends outwardly beyond the springs and to these outwardly extending ends my improved. wheel supports are apmanner'.

c is a vertical cylinder closed at both ends and f is a hollow piston working in the cylinder and forming therein two air chambers c 0, one above and one below the iston, the latter being in communication wit the interior of the piston through an aperture 0 in the lower end of the piston.

. The piston f is vertically secured in fixed position upon the axle b having an aperture surrounded "by a wall formed through it, the axle being made rectangular and fitting the aperture the piston and suitable fasresiding at Liverpool, in the county-of Lancaster, England, have invented support for a-pne'uma-tic cushioning device whichn X finterposes an .air spring between the wheels- 4'0 and-"all the other manner as more" ully hereinafter described Figure '1,is a plan view of the device; Fig.

.. halves integrally with the the body ,9. The spindle h t 's end and supplies the same with compressed air tening means holding it against endwise displacement. v v 1 I The cylinderism'ade in two halves divided upon a central horizontal plane each half beingcast with afian e or through which-bolts m'pass toisecure ti c hnder is formed with enlarged openings for.

e halves together. The

t e axle d to fpassthroiigh and around these openings are ormed the vertical guide boxes e ein which the axle d has a free vertical play as shown the guide boxes e e are formed in halves in egrally with the halves of the cylin- The outer guide boxe is formed or provided with a prolongation b which constitutes a stub axle upon which the supporting wheel is .journaled 1n the usual manner; as shown the stub axle b is formed in halves integrally with the halves of the cylinder and the wheel a is rovided with a hub box I) which forms the caring of the wheel.

The'su orting wheel has secured to it in any suita lie manner concentric with the hub box a gear wheel K to which power is transmittedby a inion This pinion is secured to a spindle I? which issu ported in a bearing 41 formed on the end of a Eracket 0 carried by the cylinder; as shown the bracket is cast in halves of the cyhnder, the halves being secured together by bolts m I i The spindle it extends transversely in front of the axle d and its inner end is in power transmitting connection with the usual compensating drive gear or other suitable power transmitting gear (not shown) contained Within an outer casing pend-rigidly supported by means of suitable hangers 1' from is made flexible as by means of suitable universal joints t t and 1s also provided with a slip joint u.

The parts being constructed and arranged to operate as shown and described it will be seen that the device forms a pneumatic cushioning wheel support by charging the chamber c -of the cyhnder with air of sufiicient pressure to sustain the axle with its load u on the air cushion formed thereby. To a pipe 1) leads into this air chamber from a b the motive-power of the vehicle, a suital ile meansbeing provided for increasing or diminishing the pressure of air as may be requiredunder varying conditions, all of which suitable pump or reservolr operated 'low, it is rovided 'der the control of the piston is well understood and forms no part of this invention.

The air in the chamber above the piston forms a check spring for the air cushion bewith a restricted port w through w ich the air can pass in or out unas it rises and falls in thecylinder.

"the cylinder, it is In Fig. my pneumatic cushioning device is shown as applied to the front axle. Instead of making the stub-shaft b rigid with formed with a yoke and turns on trunnions y formed on the opposite ends of the cylinder, the additional space which this yoke requires is obtained by omitting the guide box ethus makingthe dis tance between the front wheels a the same as between the rear wheels. The air pipe 4) I in this case may be connected to the axle and Y for the air into the air chamber in the cylina hole drilled into the axle to form a passage der.

'The piston will be suitably constructed to move as air tight as possible in the cylinder l. The combination with the vehicle body,

of an axle upon which said body is mounted upon springs intermediate between the ends of the axle, and pneumatic cushioning wheel supports on the opposite ends of the axle,

each comprising a hollow piston rigidly mounted upon the end of theaxle and extending vertically above and bolow the same, a cylinder inclosingthe piston and forming -air chambers above and below the piston, a

stub-axle rigidly connected to the cylinder and forming an independent extension of the axle, a's pporting wheel journaled upon the stub-axle "and means pinions,

' said stub-axles and for'suppl'ying the air senses chamber in the lower end of the cylinder with compressed air, said'cyhnder being horizontally divided in halves bolted together and provided vertically guide the cylinder upon the axle; 2. The cornbinationwith a vehicle bod of an. axle upon which said body is yielding y with flanged openings adapted to supported lntermediate between its -ends,.

pistons carried at opposite ends of the axle the same, a cylinder inclosing' each piston ,and forming air chambersabove and below e an said'pistons, means for supplying th chambers below; the pistons with compressed air, a stub-axle rigidly carried by each (3Y1.- inder and forming of the axle, a supporting wheel journals-d upon each stub axle'and actuating drive connection comprising a transmitting gear centrally suspended frointhe vehicle body, flexible spindles extending laterally therefrom 1 and provided with drive outer ends and a gear whe supporting wheel engaging pinions at their e c-arriedby each cylinders.

33. The combination with a vehicle body,-

with said drive the outer ends of the flexible spindles being supported in bearings carried by the and extending vertically above andbelow an independent extension of an axle upon which said body is yieldingly supportedv intermediate between its ends, stub-axles adjacent to the outer ends of this axle and forming complementary extensions thereof, supporting wheels journaled upon of the axle and stub-axles and carried by the same in vertically sliding engagement with a piston and cylinder connected respectively to the adjacent ends:

each other, the cylinders inclosingthe pis tons and forming air chambersaboveandplying belowthe pistons. and means fo'rsu. the air chambers whichsupport t e axle with compressed air.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature of two witnesses. GEORGE WILLIAM BELL. Witnesses:

Orro F. BARTHEL, Tnos. B. LONGSTAFF.

in presence 

